1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to articles of clothing and more specifically to a garment for protection against small insects.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the seasons of warm climate, mosquitoes and other biting or stinging insects hinder the enjoyment of open air activities by hunters, hikers, joggers, and other outdoor enthusiasts. Attempts to diminish or lessen the proximity of such insects include various chemicals and protective clothing. The chemicals available to tackle the insect problem are often in the form of a spray or liquid. These chemicals are relatively effective but have disadvantages including adverse environmental effects and also adverse health or allergic effects on the consumer, especially during extended use.
Protective clothing, on the other hand, includes garments which have a fine mesh fabric for screening mosquitoes from the wearer's skin. Various devices, such as buttons, springs, spacers made of rope, plastic or cloth tufts, inflatable tubes, or plastic inserts, space the fine mesh fabric away from the skin of the wearer to prevent an insect from reaching through the mesh and contacting the skin. For example, the prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,451 by Malin discloses an insect-protective garment comprising an insect netting coupled to skin separating members such as circular rings, elongated ribs, or inflatable tubes for spacing the netting away from the wearer's skin. This garment provides only a single airflow pattern (i.e., through the net to the wearer's skin). Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,594 by Shannon, which provides a protective garment comprising a plurality of fabric components secured together by stitching seams. The fabric components comprise inner and outer layers. The outer layer prevents the passage of mosquitoes, while the inner layer is thick enough to space the outer layer at a distance from the skin of the wearer which is greater than the spanning reach of a mosquito's stinger. These prior art devices are particularly uncomfortable to wear in warm climates because their inner spacing members have a large surface area which bears directly on the wearer's skin and thereby limits circulation of air. Further, these devices are also uncomfortable to wear in sport and hunting activities because their design restricts against normal movement of the human body.